It Takes Two to Tango
by Zipis1
Summary: A month and a half after the defeat of Lavos, Magus is alone in his castle, and very bored, until an unexpected visitor shows up, with very unexpected news. LuMa
1. Chapter 1

The sound of heavy boots could be heard echoing off the walls and down the corridor of the large stone castle that had been built in the middle of a vast forest as a replacement for it's predecessor. Along with the steady rhythm of the boots the sound of the castle's master mumbling and sighing continuously could also be heard. These were sure signs that the castle's master was not in a good mood.

It had been about a month and a half since the small group of time travelers had defeated Lavos, the destroyer of worlds, and though decimating this being had been his main objective in life since he was a child, Magus was not as happy about it as one would expect.

The truth was, now that Lavos was gone, Magus had nothing to do. He had no objective in life; no purpose. To put it bluntly, he was downright bored.

After entering a random room in his grand castle, he once again sighed before falling heavily into one of the chairs that adorned the large room. Thus seated, he began to look around at the walls, the carpet, the furniture and every thing else in the room, making mental notes as to what needed to be improved upon. Sadly, this was how he had been spending his spare time ever since he rebuilt his castle, since he had nothing better to do.

He couldn't go into the villages that surrounded his solitary island because, though there had been rumors of his return amongst the humans, most believed him to be dead, and that was how he preferred it, lest hundreds of angry villagers show up at his front door with torches and pitch forks, hunting him like some monster. Sure, he could easily disguise himself, but what would he do if he _were_ to go? He hated people, pure and simple. The only people he was able to stand were his former companions, but they were in different times.

He didn't _want_ to go into the Mystic villages, due to the fact that they would immediately assume that he would lead them in another war against the humans, which he had no intention of doing.

Traveling to different times was out. Not so much because the gates no longer worked, he was sure that he could conjure up a spell to use instead, but because there was simply no point.

In short, he was confined to his castle, with almost no human contact.

The frog would sometimes show up, but he was hardly what Magus could call good company. Every time the two met, they ended up battling. Magus was sure that Frog did not want to bring any harm to him anymore, despite what he might claim. It seemed as though traveling together had made killing each other an impossibility on both sides. However, Magus was sure that Frog was just as bored as he was since the end of their adventure, and that the small battles were just a way to pass the time.

After inspecting the room to his satisfaction, he slowly rose to his feet and proceeded to the next room.

"I don't know why I keep doing this. There's nothing more to change. I've been through each and every one of these rooms hundreds of times, and I never find anything that's out of place or that needs improvement. Maybe I _should_ consider waging another war with the humans. At least then I would have something to do."

He sighed for what must have been the thousandth time that day. He knew that he would never do such a thing again. Though he would never admit it, he did not want to ruin the strange truce between himself and Frog, and waging yet another war against the humans would do just that.

Walking down the corridor, Magus continued to talk to himself.

"I'm beginning to think that killing Ozzie, Flea and Slash had been a bad idea. They were idiots, but at least threatening them could be amusing. Now the only things left to threaten are the mice, and that's not exactly something I want to do."

By this time, he had gone through three more rooms, still finding nothing that needed improvement, and he was currently sitting in the chair of the fourth, staring out the window.

He heard the distant rumbling of thunder in the distance, and saw a faint light illuminate the sky. Noticing that the sky had become terribly cloudy, he waved his hand in the air, causing the window in front of him to close. With another wave of the hand, he heard the banging of shutters throughout the castle as all of the windows closed. As bored as he was, he was simply not in the mood to travel throughout the hundreds of rooms in his castle and shut every window by hand.

As he continued his pathetic routine, he heard another rumbling, this time coming from his stomach. Muttering to himself about how annoying human functions were, but secretly relieved to have something else to do besides wander desultorily around his castle in a vain attempt at finding something to improve upon, he began to make his way toward the kitchen.

"This can't be a good sign…I've been talking to myself for the last twenty minutes…"

Upon entering the kitchen , he set about a new task, and began to ponder one of the greatest questions known to man kind; What to make for dinner.

As he began his search for food, he heard the steady pitter-patter of rain begin to fall on the windows. However, by the time he had found something suitable to eat, the gentle pitter-patter had turned into more of a pounding on the windows.

"Hmmmm…this could turn out to be a pretty big storm. Well…it's better than sunshine, I suppose."

It was at this point that an extremely bright flash of light illuminated the sky, and an almost deafening sound filled the air, causing the bats that had been seeking shelter in the trees to take flight, despite the storm.

"Odd…that didn't seem like normal thunder or lightening."

Shrugging his shoulders, he resumed eating. He paused while doing so only once, almost swearing that he heard something outside his castle. Deciding that it was a trick of the wind, he finished up his meal. He began to head to his room, in hopes of retiring for the night.

On the way to his room, he heard the noise again. He was sure it sounded like footsteps, and another sound that he could not quite determine, but who in their right mind would come all the way out to his island? Especially in a storm like this?

"It must be some animal…" he muttered.

About three more hours into the night passed before he heard the noise again. He had not been able to sleep during this time, due to the fact that sleeping was another thing he did to pass time, and thus he was in no way tired.

After listening for a while, he determine that the noise was definitely coming from his side of the castle. Deciding to investigate, Magus got out of his bed and strode over to his window. However, after sticking his head out and getting promptly soaked, he found no one outside.

Now in an even worse mood due to his sodden condition, he slammed the window shut with such force, he nearly broke the glass. He quickly dried himself using a weak fire spell, then marched his way back to his bed. He climbed in, once again muttering about this or that inconvenience, and was just about to drift off into sleep when he heard yet another noise. However, this one was different than the others. It was the sound of knocking.

"It can't be…I've _never_ had anyone knock on my door, " he muttered, sitting up. He was at a complete loss as to why, or even who, could be knocking at _his _door. He waited a few minutes more, and when the sound did not occur again, he fell back onto the mattress, determined to fall asleep this time. Just as he was about to drift off a second time, the knocking was heard again.

With a loud groan, Magus got out of bed. The knocking did not stop this time, however. Magus was a quite angry, and he was determined to find whatever moron was playing games with him and make the fool very sorry he had ever happened upon this castle.

Upon reaching the door, Magus began to form a dark bomb in his hand. Not one big enough to kill anyone, but enough to knock the person out cold for a few days.

Deciding to at least see who the person was before attacking them, Magus slowly opened the door. However, before the door had even opened halfway, he felt someone barrel into him, wrapping their arms around his waist as they did so.

Infuriated at this sudden invasion of his personal space, he nearly threw the Dark Bomb that he had formed at the person who seemed to be hugging him. However, when he realized just _who_ this person was, his surprise caused the Dark Bomb to dissipate.

It was Lucca…and she was crying.

Author's note: This had been nagging at me for a loooooooooong time, so I finally decided to make my creativity demon shut the heck up by writing this. I apologize for this being kind of short…hopefully the next chapter will be a little longer…probably not, but I can dream, right? Anyway, the next chapter shouldn't take too long for me to get up, and it might actually be better than this one, since it probably won't be written past midnight. So, uhhh…yeah…that's it…Helpful criticism is always appreciated. And encouragement is nice too. Heck, ANY reviews would be nice!! Please tell me what you think!!


	2. Chapter 2

Wuh-oh…I forgot something last chapter…the disclaimer…. So here it is now!!

Disclaimer: Chrono Trigger and all characters involved in said game are the property of SquareSoft…Enix…whatever…you get the point. So HA!! You cannot sue me now, and even if you did, you would get NOTHING!! I'm flat out broke!! I've seriously _named_ the moth that flies out of my wallet when I open it!!

There we are. And now, with that out of the way, this story may continue on happily. Enjoy!!

"L, Lucca!?" That was all that Magus was able to say as he stared wide-eyed at the top of the purple-haired girl's head, the arm that had held the Dark Bomb only moments ago dropping to his side from sheer disbelief.

She made no verbal reply, instead only nodding her head slightly as she continued to sob uncontrollably into Magus' shoulder.

"B, but…how…when…_why_?" He was trying desperately to get his thoughts back on track, and to regain some of his composure, but apparently his mouth would not let this happen as these questions tumbled out.

Without removing her head from where it was buried into his shoulder, Lucca made an indistinguishable sound. Magus was pretty sure it was meant to be an answer, but between Lucca's sobs and the fact that it was muffled by his shirt, he could make no sense of it. He was quickly recovering from his shock, and as a result, he was becoming a bit irritated by this sudden visit from someone he had expected never to see again.

"I can't understand you, Lucca."

Again she tried to say something, and again Magus did not understand.

"Lucca. Stop hugging me and let go. Not only can I not understand what you're saying, but you should know as much as the next person that I do not like to be touched."

Slowly, she complied, and peeled herself away from Magus, her entire body shaking from the sobs that rushed out in a continuous flood. Any other person's heart would have melted upon laying eyes upon her in her present condition. She was sopping wet, rainwater dripping off of her and leaving a puddle on the floor where she stood, mingling with the tears that flowed forth from her eyes as she wept, her spirit obviously broken. However, Magus was not any other person, and instead of feeling pity for her and her current position, his annoyance actually grew.

"Alright, now would you mind explaining to me why you're here?"

"MprtskcdmeotbcsIdsmh-"

"Hold it. Stop right there. I can't understand you when you're crying. Now, take a deep breath, and try again."

She did as he asked, but even after taking a deep, shuddering breath, she could not make a coherent sentence. "Muhprntskikdmot-"

This is getting me nowhere. He thought irritably as Lucca continued her vain efforts at

trying to explain to Magus why she was there. "Lucca. Stop." She did so, looking up at him with

her eyes still streaming with tears. The door was still open behind her, and he was about to tell

her to leave, but something stopped him. Something about her frailty, helplessness, and

vulnerability just wouldn't let him send her away. That and he was curious as to why she was

at _his_ castle, of all places, apparently seeking comfort from _him_, of all people.

Sighing, he closed the door. "Come on." With that, he turned and began walking the

way he came, Lucca following close behind, still crying.

_Something must have really upset her if she's crying _this_ much. In fact…I don't think I've _

ever seen_ her cry, even when that fool Crono died._

After walking down a number of dimly lit corridors, Magus led Lucca into a room. The

room had four chairs that surrounded a small table, the legs of which were carved to resemble

lion's feet. Stopping at the far end of the room, Magus turned to face Lucca.

"You will stay here while I go into the other room and get some hot tea for you to warm

up with. Don't mistake this as an act of kindness. I just don't want to have to drag your body out

of my castle after you've died of pneumonia. When I get back I hope you will have calmed down

enough to tell me just why you're here." With that, he turned and stomped out of the room,

leaving Lucca alone with her thoughts.

By now, she was considerably calmer, at least as far as her crying went. However, her

despair was quickly being replaced with growing dread and nervousness. After collapsing into

one of the chairs in the room, she quickly stuck her thumbnail in her mouth and began to chew

on it while she thought about her current situation.

_Okay…he's in a bad mood, even for him. I guess I can't blame him…I did just show up_

out of the blue…and I did hug him…that_ was probably my biggest mistake. Actually, my biggest_

mistake is what brought me here in the first place. Oh…if he's this mad now just imagine how

mad he's going to be when I tell him…he'll probably blow me up on the spot.

But it's his fault, too…he played a major role in all this. Besides…what else was I

supposed to do? There was no one else I could go to. My parents kicked me out when they found

out, so that's obviously out of the question. Crono and Marle, well, they're too busy…and I

don't think I could ever look them in the eye again if I told them about this. Robo's a robot, so he

wouldn't be much of a help in this situation. Ayla probably would have helped…but I can only

take so much of her. Frog would have definitely helped…but not in the way I would like. He

would just offer to kill Magus for playing a part in all this, and then lecture me until my ears

bled for it happening in the first place.

So that just left Magus…which is sadly pathetic. Of all people I had to go to him_ for_

sympathy. But like I said…it's just as much his fault as it is mine, so he should have to deal with

the punishment, too.

"Are you going to take this or am I going to have to dump it in your lap?"

Snapping back to reality, Lucca looked up to see Magus scowling down at her holding a

mug of what looked to be very hot tea, if the rising cloud of steam was any indication.. Eager to

keep him in as good a mood as possible, she quickly took the cup from him. However, she

quickly regretted her hasty move, as her fingers were immediately burned by the cup.

Nearly dropping the cup in her haste to put it on the table and thus prevent any third

degree burns, Lucca looked up to see Magus smiling nastily at her. Of course, being Lucca, it

wasn't hard for her to figure out what that smile meant.

"You jerk!" she bellowed, forgetting her earlier resolution to keep Magus in a good

mood. "You did that on purpose! You _knew_ that cup was hot!"

"Really? It didn't seem hot to me," he said, his smile growing bigger and nastier. He was

obviously enjoying her anger.

"That's because you have gloves on! You could have put it on the table, you know. You

didn't have to insist on me holding the stupid thing!" She wanted to throw something at him, but

the only thing around was the mug of tea, and not only did she not want to touch it again for quite

awhile, but throwing it at him would mean shortening her lifespan even more than telling him the

news she had would.

"And miss out on this fun? I wouldn't dream of it. However, now that you have shown

me that you can speak coherent English, perhaps you wouldn't mind telling me _why you are_

here."

Lucca's anger melted away to be replaced again with dread and nervousness. She knew

she had to tell him…there was no doubt about that. With a loud sigh and a quick glance at

Magus, she began.

"Okay…well…after we killed Lavos and all of you went back to your own times, things

were fine for awhile. Crono and Marle began planning their wedding and I was free to get back to

my inventions. We were pretty much happy now that we could just hang out without worrying

about whether or not we would live to see tomorrow.

"However…a few weeks ago…I began noticing some…uh…things, that could spell

disaster for my happiness. Everyone else's happiness was safe, just not mine…or yours."

At this she stole a quick glance at her blue-haired host, and, seeing that he was about to

comment on what she just said, she hurried on.

"So anyway, when I became absolutely positive of what these…things…meant, I wasn't

sure just what I should do. Up until a few hours before I showed up here, I thought of every

possible way I could change things. However, when I couldn't come up with anything good, I

decided that it would be best if I went to my parents.

"They…well…they didn't take it very well. My dad fainted and my mom, after getting

over her shock, ordered my out of the house. So, I-"

"Wait a minute," Magus interrupted her, apparently confused by something. "Your _father_

fainted? And your _mother_ was the one that ordered you out of the house. Isn't that just a

little…backward?"

"Um…no…Dad's always been a bit…weak…when it comes to shocking news. That's

part of the reason he married my mom. That way, when he faints, she can tell him what

happened. And Mom's always been short tempered, so it's actually not all that surprising that she

reacted the way she did."

"I…see…"

Seeing that Magus was a bit confused, Lucca continued before he could ask what she

could have possibly said to get her kicked out of the house.

"Anyway…once I was thrown out, I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't know where to go. I

tried the inn, but I quickly discovered that going to the inn alone is a bad idea when you're a

woman. Too many men that have been traveling for a long time without…uh…company…if you

get what I mean." She shuddered slightly at the memory.

"So after running like mad to get away from there, I began to realize how bad my

situation really was. I tried thinking of where I could go, but there wasn't anywhere. I couldn't go

to Crono and Marle because they're too busy to deal with _my_ problems, and the same news that

got me kicked out of my house would make me too ashamed to even look them in the eye. That's

when I began thinking of the Epoch.

"I knew I couldn't go to Robo, because he wouldn't understand since he's a robot. Ayla

was out…she's nice but a bit too…rowdy…for me. That left you and Frog. After getting into the

Epoch, I came to the middle ages and then flew around for awhile. Try as I might, I just couldn't

bring myself to go to Frog. I really wasn't in the mood to be lectured on the subject. So…I came

here…And believe me, it wasn't easy. I wandered around outside for hours before I could bring

myself to knock on your door, and after doing it the first time I chickened out and almost went

home. But I ended up coming back and trying again…You know the rest."

She quickly looked down at her mug of tea, which by that time had cooled down enough

for her to drink. She knew what he was going to ask, and now she couldn't dodge it by

talking…she had nothing more to say. It was just a matter of time before she was packing her

bags and taking a one way trip to "The Void", as Magus would say.

"Well, now that you've said that much, would you mind telling me how these 'things'

could ruin, not only _your_ happiness, but mine as well, and what it is about this 'news' that was so

bad that it could get you kicked out of your house, prevent you from going to your two best

friends, cause the frog to lecture you, and make you come to me?"

_Well, _she thought, _here it is…time to face the music._

"Well…you see…I…uh…that is to say…um…" Seeing that she was babbling, she tried a

new approach. After taking a deep, supposedly calming breath, she tried again.

However, this time, instead of babbling, she could not get any words to come out at all.

Instead, a noise remarkably similar to a squeaky toy came out. After covering her mouth

in surprise and looking at Magus, who was obviously very annoyed, she sighed in resignation and

looked down once more.

"Look, Magus…This is obviously harder than I thought it would be. Would you mind if I

waited a little while to tell you? I mean, my nerves are still a bit on edge over this whole ordeal,

and telling you would probably be easier if I took some time to let it all sink in."

What followed her request was complete and utter silence. It dragged on for several

minutes, with Lucca sipping her now luke-warm tea and Magus staring at her as though

she had just asked him to dress in a fluffy pink tutu.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he answered.

"Very well." She looked up at him, shocked that he hadn't started demanding that she tell

him or he would kill her for wasting his time. However, his seemingly generous agreement soon

showed it's true colors, as he stood up and began to leave the room, saying over his shoulder,

"Come back when you're ready to stop being an idiot. You know where the door is."

For a few moments she just sat there, a bit taken aback by his last comment. Sure, he

wasn't exactly known for his flowing kindness, but she didn't expect him to turn her out into the

streets in a storm when she had just explained to him that she had no where else to go. However,

she soon regained her composure, and soon found herself jumping out of her chair to face Magus.

"Wait a minute. You mean to say, that after I _just_ got through telling you how I have no

where else to go, you're going to throw me out?"

Turning back around, he replied, completely serious, "And why shouldn't I? If you're not

going to tell me then why should I keep you here? I'm not running a hotel."

"I didn't say you were! But you could be a little more hospitable to me! What happened

to me is partly _your_ fault, after all!"

"Oh really? And how is that."

"I…I told you…I can't say it just now."

"Then get out."

Seeing that there was no way out of it, she decided to just get it over with. "Alright,

Magus…I'll tell you…but I don't think I can say it very loudly. So, could you…come here."

Glad to have gotten his way, Magus complied.

When he was directly in front of her, Lucca took yet another deep breath, and stood on

her tip-toes so that she could whisper in his ear.

When she had said what she needed to say, Magus just stood there, eyes wide in shock

and mouth slightly agape as he fell back into the chair he had occupied just moments before, the

shock of what he was just told rendering his legs useless.

As he sat there, he was able to say one thing; "This can't be happening."

A/N: Well…so much for it not taking long for me to update this. Sorry about that. This may be

my last update for a while…I have to back to school on the eighteenth. (_sigh)_ However, if my

procrastinator gene kicks in, as it often does, then I may update more often than I did all summer.

Who knows. So...does anyone have any guesses as to what Lucca's news is??

It's…ah….weird…to say the least. Um...anyway…I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I

know that I left you hanging with the news…I just couldn't bring myself to tell you this

chapter…I had to make you wait just a _little_ longer. Yeah…I know it was an evil

cliffhanger…but what can I say? I'm evil. So, leave me a review and maybe when I go to be

tortured this Wednesday I'll survive, knowing that I must continue this.


	3. Chapter 3

"Uh…Magus? Are you okay? You…haven't said or done anything for awhile…"

Indeed he had not. In fact, the room had been silent for nearly fifteen minutes in which neither Lucca nor Magus could so much as look at each other. The silence probably would have stretched on for an eternity had Lucca not chanced a glance at the man in front of her and noticed that his face had become even paler than it usually was, and that he looked as though he was going to pass out. As if such strange behavior coming from Magus wasn't enough, she also noticed that he was turning a strange shade of blue, indicating that he hadn't breathed in a while either.

"Magus…snap out of it! I admit that I was shocked when I found out too, but I at least _breathed_!"

Seeming to have heard her, Magus took a series of short, almost non-existent breaths before taking one very deep one and settling into a normal rhythm. Gradually, the blue that had become a rather prominent feature on his face began to fade.

"Well…at least that's one thing…Now, could you _say_ something? I know you're the strong silent type, but this is ridiculous."

He took another deep breath before replying, and when he did, his voice was cold and flat.

"There's nothing to say. This is either a mistake or you're joking, and for your sake, it had better be a mistake."

"No, Magus…there's no mistake, and I'm not dumb enough to play a joke on _you_…I rather like having my body in one piece, thank you very much."

Receiving only an icy stare from Magus, Lucca sighed in frustration before continuing.

"Look, I've been trying to convince myself that I'm wrong about this since I noticed the first signs, but the more time that passed and the more I thought about it, the more obvious it became that my suspicions were correct. So we're both just going to have to suck it up and accept the fact you and I did something on impulse and now I'm pregnant with _your_ child!"

Of course, Magus was not one to be convinced of his doom so easily.

"Alright. Let's say that you _are _pregnant. How do I know that it's mine? I'm not exactly the only man in history capable of doing that sort of thing."

Narrowing her eyes in a most intimidating way, Lucca responded to such an accusation in a low and dangerous tone.

"Just what are you implying?"

"You know very well what I'm 'implying'. There are plenty of other men that you could have been with before and after me, so there is really no proof that _I_ am the father."

Obviously, Magus was not wise in the ways of women, and thus did not realize that by saying what he had just said, he had insulted Lucca beyond all reason. As a result, the anger hidden deep inside every woman, reserved especially for men who are being particularly idiotic by trying to weasel their way out of out of their responsibilities, awoke within her, and before he could so much as blink, Magus found Lucca standing over him, her eyes positively on fire with rage.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR!?" As though the deafening tone of her voice was not enough to get her point across that she was very angry indeed, Lucca emphasized her point by slapping Magus across the face with all of her strength, the force of the blow causing his head to whip to the side and spittle to fly from his mouth. Magus was noticeably shocked, having never been hit by a woman before.

Looking back at her, he noticed that hitting him must have been an effective way to blow off steam, for she had calmed down a little, though she was obviously still very peeved. While trying very hard to keep her temper under control, Lucca continued.

"Magus…it couldn't have been anyone other than you. You are the first and only man I have _ever_ slept with, and, unless I got pregnant by some other miraculous means, that would make you the only man capable of being the father."

Still trying to comprehend the fact that some one had actually hit him, Magus could only stare at the young inventor in front of him while rubbing the hand-shaped red mark on his cheek as she sat back down.

"Okay...now that we have that out of the way, we should probably discuss just how we are going to handle this."

Quickly regaining his composure, Magus again tried to back out.

"We? I see no _we_ in all this. It seems to be more _your_ problem than anything. After all, if I remember correctly, _you_ were the one that came to _me_ the first time. _I_ was just an innocent bystander."

"Oh, yeah…_real _innocent. As _I_ recall, _you_ started it. When I came to your room that night, I had absolutely _no_ intention of doing what I did."

"Oh? Then what _were_ you doing? Stopping by for a little chat?"

"Actually, in a sense, yes. I needed someone to talk to about the whole incident with Crono."

At this, Magus raised an eyebrow. Seeing that he was curious as to why she would choose _him_, of all people, to talk to about something that he couldn't have cared less about at the time, Lucca hurried to explain, frustration and weariness clear in her tone.

"Well what do you expect!? Since Crono died, you were the only person who had offered _any_ useful information. That, and you were the only one in our group that hadn't managed to get on my nerves yet. Marle was moping around about Crono, which I can understand, but seeing her unhappy didn't exactly help with my emotions, so I wasn't about to talk to her about it. Ayla's solution to the problem would be that we go back to her time and have some poi, and, depressed as I may have been, I wasn't in the mood to get drunk on _that_ again…"

This time, both of Magus' eyebrows went up, voicing without words that he was surprised that she had ever been drunk before.

"Uh…long story…Anyway, since I knew that Ayla would suggest that, I didn't even bother to try to talk about it with her. Robo was out for the very same reason that I didn't go to him tonight. As much as I love machines, they just aren't what you talk to when you're feeling sad; their logic can actually make things worse. Then there's Frog. Yeah, he's a sweet guy and all, but somehow, no matter what the topic, conversations with him always lead back to you and how all wrongs in the world would be set right once you were slain and Cyrus' death was avenged. Honestly, I don't know about that guy…"

Shaking her head in pity, she sighed before going on.

"So…that left you, and you seemed like a reasonable choice. Like I said before, you were the only person that had offered any useful information at that point, though I still can't quite figure out _why_ you did. That and I knew that you had lost someone close to you at one point in your life too, so I was hoping that you could offer some advice on how to handle it. _That's_ why I came to you that night, not to…well…you know…_that_ part was _your_ doing."

"I don't see how that could have been _my_ doing. I did nothing more than let you in, offer you a drink, and let you use my bed-"

"Yeah…I'll say you did."

"_-to rest._ You stayed for so long that you practically collapsed on it. Can I help it that when I tried to wake you up you attacked me?"

"If by attacked, you mean kissed, that was all you, buddy. I just played along for fear of you killing me if I refused."

Turning away and crossing his arms, he responded haughtily.

"I wouldn't have _killed_ you. Injured maybe, but not killed." Eyes widening for a brief second in realization, he quickly added, "and either way _I_ wasn't the one who did it."

Raising her hands to the sky in exasperation, Lucca decided to put an end to this before she lost her mind.

"Fine! Believe what you want! It's not like it really matters who started it _that_ night, because it's not as though that was the _only_ time it happened. The rest of those times are just as capable as the first of making this happen, and the blame for those alternated between the both of us."

She gave a frustrated sigh before beginning to rub her temples in an effort to stop her impending headache, before she said in a tone that was less angry and more whiny, "Magus…it's almost morning and I've been up all night. I'm tired, cranky, and still upset about all this, so either give me a room or kill me, I really don't care at the moment, as long as I get _some_ form of sleep before I get sick again."

"Why would you get sick?" Magus asked while slightly tilting his head to the side, showing that he was genuinely confused. "You seem fine to me."

"You really don't know anything about this sort of thing at all, do you?" she asked while giving him a look that bordered on pity. "Never mind…you'll get it soon enough, I suppose. Now could you _please_ give me a room. We can continue this discussion later."

"Didn't you say not too long ago that you wanted to 'discuss how we are going to handle this'?"

"I changed my mind," she said through clenched teeth, anger becoming clear on her face once more.

Deciding that there was no way out of it, Magus gave in.

"Fine. If it will make you stop snapping at me, you can stay here, though I still have my doubts about this whole thing." Getting to his feet, Magus began to leave the room, indicating that he wanted Lucca to follow. With his back turned to her, he didn't notice Lucca roll her eyes and shake her head in pity due to the fact that Magus actually thought she had any control over what mood she was in right now, therefore proving her point that he was clueless on this subject.

After Lucca had been given a room and Magus had returned to his own, they had both tried to get in a few hours of sleep. However, doing so proved to be more difficult than it should have been. Both of them laid awake in bed for some time after, trying to figure out just what _had_ caused them to do what they did that first night together.

That night, Lucca _had_ only intended to talk to Magus. He had only been a part of their group for less than a week, and, though Lucca would admit to herself, if _only_ to herself, that she had thought him to be kind of good looking, and that she wouldn't have minded getting to know him better, the thought of getting to know him in _that_ way had never even flickered across her mind.

So, they had talked, though neither one of them could explain just why Magus had actually allowed her into his room in the first place. They didn't talk a whole lot, seeing as to how Magus seemed to have a limit as to the amount of words he was able to say in any given amount of time, but, even during the extended periods of time in which nothing was said, Lucca had felt comfortable there.

Maybe it was that she enjoyed the fact that she could be around someone without it being necessary to talk, and that she could think about things without being interrupted that had made her stay so long. Or maybe it was simply reluctance to go back to the room she was sharing with Marle and therefore be forced to hear the young princess cry in her sleep. It could even have been that, though it didn't seem like it to _her_, she had had just a little too much to drink Whatever the reason, it had caused her to lay down on Magus' bed, which she had been sitting on due to the lack of chairs in the room. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

It was a while before Magus had even noticed that she had dozed off, and when he finally did, he, surprisingly, did nothing about it. Truth be told, he was amazed that this girl had felt comfortable enough around him to actually do so. After all, it wasn't too long before that night that the two of them had been enemies, both bent on the destruction of the other.

However, after some time had passed, Magus' eyelids began to feel heavy, so he had decided to rouse Lucca and send her off to her own room.

Deciding that scaring her wouldn't be the wisest way to wake her due to what he had observed of her mood in the mornings, he had approached the bed as quietly as he could. Sitting down beside her sleeping form on the bed, he gently touched her shoulder, shaking her slightly and softly calling her name.

At first, all this accomplished was causing her to grunt and roll from her side on to her back. He tried several more times to awake her, but she did nothing more than before. Just as he was about to give up and had just begun to consider picking Lucca up and almost literally throwing her at the princess down the hall, he decided to try just one more time, this time calling her name directly into her ear.

Turning toward her, he began to lower his head to her ear. It wasn't until he was within mere inches from his destination, and therefore her face, that he had noticed something. Moving his head directly over hers, he was able to confirm his suspicion: Lucca's eyes were wide open.

At first they had only stared at each other in surprise, Lucca still trying to figure out just what Magus was doing, and Magus too surprised to find the young woman awake to do anything else.

It wasn't long, however, until the look of surprise had melted away into a look of longing, and, before either of them knew what was happening, they found themselves locked in a passionate kiss. It was tentative at first, due to the fact that neither one of them were very good at expressing themselves in these matters, but it had soon grown in intensity. It had progressed from there.

In the morning, both were surprised at the reality of what they had done. Though, for some strange reason, Lucca was not as embarrassed as one might expect, she hurried out of there, hoping that Marle had not noticed the fact that she had never come into the room the night before.

Unfortunately, she did, but Lucca was able to convince the young princess that she had been out walking all night, thinking.

After that night, Lucca and Magus would often just glance at each other during the day and would later find themselves spending the night together.

They had never thought of the consequences.

A/N: Well, would ya look at that!! I updated!! Oh, sure…I've got a huge pile of homework that's kind of waiting to be attended to, but….well…I told you my procrastinator gene would kick in. Well, anyway…I hope you enjoyed the chapter. And congratulations to all who guessed what Lucca's secret was!! Yay for you!! I hope no one finds this a bit too…weird…but, my muse demanded that it be written, and I had to listen to her…she wouldn't let me sleep, and I was tired. Oh...and after consulting with friends and family about it, I upped the rating a little, just in case. So…have fun…I'm gonna go do my homework now…or at least pretend to….Remember, any reviews will do…so…Review please!!


	4. Chapter 4

Magus awoke somewhat early the next morning, despite the fact that he had gotten only a few hours of very restless sleep. After trying, to no avail, to go back to sleep, he grumpily climbed out of bed, hesitating for a few moments to make sure he was awake enough to be able to walk. Once sure that he was indeed capable of doing so, he lazily made his way to the kitchen, not knowing what else he could do other than eat breakfast.

As he passed by the hall that contained Lucca's room, Magus heard a strange noise. It was impossible for him to tell what exactly the noise was due to the fact that it was echoing continuously off the stone walls of the castle, but whatever it was didn't sound pleasant. Allowing his ever-present scowl to deepen, Magus continued on his way to the kitchen, which wasn't very far from there, all the while thinking about the events of the previous night.

_What in God's name was I thinking? I knew perfectly well what could happen…I even thought about it each time, and I _still_ went through with it!_

Entering the kitchen, Magus began to absently search for something edible, though in reality he had absolutely no appetite. Even when he _had_ found something he thought he could stomach, he heard the same, but considerably louder, noise come from Lucca's direction, and his stomach did a flip-flop, causing him to retract his hand as though the item had burned him.

_That noise is nauseating._

Turning, Magus began to walk slowly to the table at the other end of the room.

_Hmph. Schala would get a kick out of this…knowing that her baby brother was about to be a father._

Upon thinking the last word, his legs began to feel weak, and he sank lifelessly into the closest chair. He stayed that way for an unknown amount of time, staring vacantly at the lacquered wood of the table in front of him. When he finally looked up, he discovered Lucca standing in the doorway. She had wild hair, was slightly green with a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, and was clutching her stomach. In addition to her less-than-vibrant appearance, she was also glaring at Magus with so much malice and venom, an army would have coward in fear had it been directed at them.

"I blame _you…_" This was all she said before walking, slightly hunched over, to the table where Magus was currently situated and slowly taking a seat, all the while fixing him with the same flesh eating glare.

At first, it seemed Magus was about to counter her statement and start up yet another argument about just who was to blame for whatever it was she was complaining about (he was still confused on the matter), but seemed to think better of it, settling for a roll of the eyes instead. However, this gesture did not go unnoticed, and Lucca was quick to arise to the challenge that was not meant to be given.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, Magus," she snapped. "You forget just what kind of mood I'm in when I don't get a lot of sleep, and the fact that I haven't been able to do so for a while because I've been getting sick instead hasn't changed that."

Choosing to ignore her warning, Magus once again rolled his eyes, but was quick to say something before Lucca could snap at him again.

"If you came in here expecting me to make you breakfast, think again. I'm not your servant. You can make your own food."

Instead of receiving the enraged reply that he had expected, Lucca's only response to Magus' haughty remark was to give a sickening burp and to turn a rather interesting shade of green. A bit perplexed by this reaction, Magus could only stare at her with one eyebrow raised. When she finally did speak, she had moved her hand to cover her mouth, and seemed to be unwilling to open it very far even to speak, thus her speech was a bit muffled.

"Magus…do us both a favor, and don't mention food in any way, shape or form right now."

Magus' only reply was to grunt, after which the room fell into silence. This silence was short lived, however, because it was soon broken by a small 'mew' from under the table. Upon looking under the table to find the origin of the noise, Lucca discovered a small, purple cat with bright green eyes staring back at her.

"Alfador? When did you get him back? I thought he was still with that kid in 12,000 B.C."

"You mean to tell me," Magus said as Alfador jumped up onto Lucca's lap, purring loudly as she scratched his chin, " that you didn't notice I was carrying around a purple cat everywhere we went, or that you didn't see him in any of the rooms we shared? Hmph, even that airhead Marle noticed, and I was sure you were smarter than her."

"Hey! How was I supposed to notice? I was busy trying not to get killed when we were going somewhere, and when we were in a room, I was just a little distracted by what was going on! And just because Marle likes to shop, talk about boys, giggles when she misses something in a battle, and seems to enjoy pressing random buttons on machines that she knows nothing about and could very well blow everyone up, doesn't make her an airhead!" Lucca exclaimed in a sad attempt at defending her friend.

"So you're admitting she's smarter than you," Magus remarked, smirking when Lucca became angry again.

"No, I'm not. I was simply saying that my friend isn't as dumb as you think. Just because I say that doesn't mean that she's more intelligent than me." Her anger quickly melted away, however, when Alfador curled up and proceeded to go to sleep in her lap, purring ever louder. "I thought you said he didn't like anyone but you."

Magus frowned, obviously displeased. "He doesn't."

"Then how do you explain _this_?" She asked while stroking Alfador's silky fur.

"You smell like me," he said matter-of-factly, though with a hint of annoyance.

"How 'bout that kid then? Alfador seemed to like him well enough."

Crossing his arms and turning away huffily, Magus said, "It was a matter of survival. The kid offered him food when he was starving, and he took it."

This time, Lucca rolled her eyes, smiling slightly at the fact that Magus _was _capable of caring for something, if him getting jealous over Alfador was any indication.

_Maybe this kid of ours won't turn out so messed up after all. _

However, her smile quickly turned into a frown as a thought suddenly struck her, and she looked sidelong at Magus.

"How'd you get him away from that kid, Magus?" she asked, voice full of suspicion.

Without looking at her, he answered without a moments hesitation.

"Alfador's mine. That snot nosed brat didn't deserve him, so I took him."

"Why am I not surprised?" she mumbled, her previous thoughts effectively going right out the window.

There was another long silence, though this time Alfador's loud purring made it that much more maddening. Deciding she couldn't take it anymore, Lucca gathered the cat in her arms and stood abruptly from where she was sitting.

"Where are you going," Magus asked just as she was about to exit the room.

"I'm getting tired of sitting in an awkward silence with you, so I thought I'd take a look around. After all, if I'm going to be living here, I should probably figure out where everything is."

"You're going to get lost," he said, more to himself than anyone, though Lucca still heard him.

"I will not!" she called back. "If I found my way through the first one, I can find my way through this one!"

However, several hours and many rooms later, Magus' prediction proved true. She had absolutely _no_ idea where she was, and had been trying to find her way back for a _very_ long time.

A while ago, she had begun to feel hungry, and upon turning around, she discovered everything looked the same. To make things worse, after turning down a corridor that she _thought_ would lead her back to the kitchen, she happened upon an invisible warp, which sent her to an entirely different part of the castle. When she tried to go back, all it did was send her to yet _another_ part of the castle, neither of which were where she wanted to be.

She had hoped that Alfador could lead her back, but once she set him on the floor, he immediately took off, chasing a mouse. It was mid afternoon by the time she saw the cat again. Apparently, chasing mice had become boring, as he was now napping on top of a large bed.

"Hmph! A lot of help _you_ were," she snapped at the cat.

Suddenly, Lucca began to feel very tired, and ended up taking a seat next to Alfador as a result of not having the strength to stand any longer. Having nothing better to do, she began petting Alfador again, this time talking to him as well.

"Your master is a strange one. You'd think he would at least _try_ to be happy, but it doesn't seem like he wants to do that. I mean, look at his house! I'm surprised _he_ doesn't get lost in here! And why is it so big, anyway? He's the only one who lives here, he doesn't need this much space."

After yawning and stretching exuberantly, Alfador made his way over to Lucca, and plopped onto her lap. She resumed petting him, staring absently at the wall, his purring making her smile slightly.

"Well, that's Magus for you. I guess he's just not meant to be understood in _any_ aspect." Sighing, she looked down at the tiny bundle of fur in her lap.

"So, what do you think about all this? Lucca the Great and Lord Magus, two of history's most unsociable people, adding to the world's population. Together, no less! I guess we'll see if you like the new addition to your life as much as you seem to like me. Not that I believe _you're_ all that unsociable," she added, scratching behind his ears. "But if you only like me because I smell like Magus, you'll probably _love_ his kid.

"Where is Magus, anyway? Shouldn't he have come looking for me by now? It's been an awful long time." Sighing again, she continued, in a slightly choked voice and eyes brimming with tears, "Figures…I'm supposed to be the smart one and I go and get myself into _this_ mess. I was so sure that no one would ever want me, I gave it away to the first person who actually _did_!_" _A tear fell onto the top of Alfador's head, causing him to twitch his ears in annoyance. "And look where it got me!" She started crying openly then, picking Alfador up and holding him tightly against her.

"I was supposed to save myself for some one I loved and who loved me back, and instead the guy I choose couldn't care less if I die! I'll probably be wandering around this stupid castle until I starve to death! It's not like he would actually care, that would just be killing two birds with one stone. He wouldn't have to worry about it anymore…he could just go back to doing whatever it was he was doing before I showed up."

She cried for an unknown amount of time, burying her face into Alfador's warm, soft fur, soaking it through. Alfador took it quite well, not trying to escape her grasp once, even licking her face with a scratchy tongue, which, under normal circumstances, would have made her giggle.

"I told you you'd get lost."

Lucca jumped at the sudden voice, nearly throwing Alfador across the room. She looked to the door, where Magus was leaning casually against the frame, a wicked smirk playing on his lips.

"Go away," she said warily, a slight quaver in her voice despite her greatest efforts to stop it. "You are the _last_ person I want to see right now." This, however, was far from the truth. She actually felt immensely relieved to see him, but she was not going to admit it to _him_.

"Oh, really?" he asked, striding into the room. "You've been lost for hours, and you're going to turn away the only person who can lead you back? That doesn't seem very wise, now does it?"

"Like you care."

"Of course I care," he remarked. "I said last night that I didn't want to have to drag your body out of my castle if you died of pneumonia. I don't want to have to do it if you die of starvation either, though you would be lighter."

Lucca's heart, which had been momentarily lifted from it's depression, crashed down again, and when it went down, her temper went up.

"You jerk!" she screamed before lunging herself at Magus and flinging a startled Alfador across the room. She tried to strike him, but he moved easily out of the way. She tried again, and still failed, causing Magus to laugh at her feeble attempts. On her third try, she actually managed to hit him square in the jaw.

Though obviously unhurt, he became angry, and, getting behind her, he grabbed both her wrists and held them securely, wrapping his other arm around her to keep her from thrashing.

"Lucca! Calm down! If I knew you were going to act like this I _would_ have left you up here."

Seeing she was trapped, Lucca stopped trying to squirm free, and instead started to cry again. A bit surprised by this sudden change, Magus loosened his grip on Lucca.

"You just don't get it!" she said, though, once again, Magus was having trouble understanding what she was saying. Wrenching herself from his grasp, she went over to the window. She had decided she needed fresh air, so she pulled open the shutters, which were still closed from the previous night's storm, and immediately regretted doing so.

Not only was it still raining, but apparently the warps were replacements for stairs, because, though the view to most people would seem beautiful, Lucca could only notice that the room was very, _very_ high up.

Just barely keeping herself from fainting, Lucca fell back onto the bed she had been sitting on a few moments before. Trying not to seem fazed, she continued.

"My whole life has just come to a crashing halt, and you don't care! My parents hate me, my friends would probably hate me if they knew, and you, the man that I gave myself to, the man that should love me, the father of my first, and probably last child, hates me. I'm freaked out, my nerves are on end, and all _you_ can do is make it worse!" She was unable to continue beyond that, because she was overcome by a wave of tears, and could therefore barely breath, let alone talk.

Magus, while trying to ignore the slight pangs of guilt and pity in the back of his mind, stood silent for a moment, trying to think of what he should do. Though the thought of going over to her and holding her in his arms while gently wiping the tears from her cheeks and assuring her that it would be okay did indeed cross his mind, he quickly smashed it to bits, wondering what it was about this young girl that always made that thought dance across his mind whenever she was upset.

After a few more moments of silent reflection, Magus decided to speak.

"Lucca-"

However, just as it seemed Magus would do something nice for a change, the sound of the castle's front doors being thrown forcefully open filled the entire castle, and made several birds in the nearby trees fly by the window as they took to the sky in an effort to escape whatever it was that had disturbed them.

"Magus, you cur! Where art thou! Show thyself at once!"

Magus and Lucca both jumped at the sudden outburst.

"Oh no…" Lucca began, obviously worried. She did _not_ need this right now. Magus had a similar, if more crude reaction.

"Damn that frog!"

A/N: Could it be?? I have no homework!! It's a miracle!! (_Looks to the heavens_) Thank you!! Thank you!! Ahem…anyway…hope you enjoyed this chapter. I actually wasn't planning on having Alfador in this story at all, but he insisted, and how can I refuse a cute little kitty!? I made myself feel bad for Lucca though…Oh well…I've already said I'm kinda angsty…And I have to thank a friend of mine for typing in that swear word…as dumb as it may sound…I don't cuss in any way, shape, or form…so…yeah…If ever you see a swear word in any of my fics, you can bet your bums that I had someone type that for me. Anyway…the next chapter is probably going to be hard for me, because I have to write for Frog, who just _has_ to talk in Old English. Curse you Square!! Oh, and in case any of you are wondering why Magus is already showing signs of falling for Lucca, just keep in mind that they have already been together…intimately…so obviously _something_ was already going for these two. Anyway…I've babbled long enough…remember to review!! Praise, flames, I don't care, as long as I get a review!!


	5. Chapter 5

"Magus!"

Frog's footsteps were echoing throughout the castle as he searched, the banging of doors all but shaking the walls as he threw them violently open.

Lucca, meanwhile, was on the verge of panic.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no ,no, NO!"

Magus, on the other hand, couldn't decide if he should be amused or annoyed by her distress, and so just watched as she frantically scurried about the room. However, his indecision was quickly resolved as Lucca turned to him and yelled for all she was worth.

"This is all you're fault!"

Anger beat both options.

"And just what, might I ask, am I at fault for this time?" he ground out, trying very hard to keep himself from throttling her. He was getting rather tired of being blamed for everything.

"What do you think!?" she snapped. "Was I panicking before or after Frog showed up!?"

After closing his eyes and taking a deep, calming breath, while trying to think only of pleasant things, after all, killing her would still mean dragging her out of his home, he managed to speak in an even tone, though his face was becoming slightly red from effort.

"I did not know that the frog would show up today. I never do. He just comes and goes as he pleases. So, tell me, Lucca; How is his being here my fault?"

Seemingly at a loss -she was never one to deny logic- Lucca stumbled over her words for a moment, before exclaiming, "It just is!" After doing so, she turned away, never seeing Magus' eye begin to twitch or the dark electricity crackling at the tips of his fingers.

She did, however, notice that Frog's footsteps were getting louder.

"How is he finding his way around so easily!? Why isn't he getting lost!? Oh, what am going to do? I can't let him see me here! I've got to…got to…" Putting a hand to her forehead after pausing for a moment, she swayed in her spot before finishing. "…sit down."

Magus quirked an eyebrow at her, wondering why she so suddenly stop her ranting in favor of falling back onto the bed.

After a moment of silence in which Lucca seemed to be trying to regain her composure, Frog's voice rang out once again.

"Tis no use hiding, Magus! I shall find thee, and when I do, I shall avenge all that have been wronged at thy hand!"

Lucca's head snapped up, alarmed.

"He sounds like he's just down the hall!" At this, another door was thrown open, and it was indeed much closer than before. "Magus, you have to do something!"

"Hmph…and why should I?"

"Because I can't let him see me! I can't let him know!"

"Let the frog see you. Why is it so horrible that he knows, anyway?" Magus, though not even he realized it, was slightly hurt. Was she ashamed of him?

"Because I don't want to lose his respect! Frog may be one of my closest friends but I know his morals. He would think less of me if I laid down with _any_ man unmarried, but the fact that I laid down with _you_ only makes matters worse." There was another loud bang as a door slammed into the wall behind it. "He might still act like my friend, but it won't ever be the same. He'll always think of me as Cyrus' killer's whore. I don't ever want him to think of me like that." Another door was thrown open, this time right next to them. She looked up at him, eyes shinning with more tears. He saw how desperate she truly was, how much she feared what Frog would think of her. "Please, Magus," she said, not bothering to hide the pleading tone of her voice.

With a loud grunt, Magus turned toward the door, stomping a little as though to show her that he was only doing this to shut her up. He caught it just as it was beginning to swing open, and just before it revealed Lucca to the person on the other side.

"So, thou hast decided to show thyself, Magus? Or mayhap thou wast attempting to flee?"

Giving only a growl in response, Magus tried to push Frog back into the hallway and away from Lucca, but, seeing that he was still holding the door firmly and not allowing Frog to see further into the room, the knight became suspicious.

"What art thee hiding, Magus?" he asked , narrowing his eyes and pushing slightly on the door.

"I have nothing to hide from you, Frog," Magus responded, pushing back harder than necessary and almost smashing Frog's fingers between the door and the frame.

Frog was not convinced so easily.

"Thine guardianship of the door suggests otherwise. If thou truly hast nothing to hide, then why art thou not allowing the door to open?"

Not bothering to give a response, grunt or otherwise, Magus pushed Frog rather harshly out into the hall, knocking him flat on his rear. Not hesitating even a moment, Magus quickly slipped out the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Lucca took this as a good opportunity to spring off the bed and quickly lock the door to prevent any further risk of discovery. However, the sudden exertion caused her earlier dizziness to return, and with it, a wave of nausea.

_Uh-oh…_

Nervously glancing at the door, she slid to the floor in an effort to both steady herself and to try to settle her increasingly churning stomach.

Frog, meanwhile, was trying to regain his lost dignity.

"Thou art acting most odd for one with nothing to hide," Frog stated, dusting himself off and straightening his cloak.

Magus replied only with a cold stare before walking back toward the warp. Frog cast the door one last curious glance before following the wizard. As far as he knew, people with something to hide didn't usually leave the room in which they were hiding it unguarded.

However, just as Frog was about to walk into the portal, which Magus seemed unwilling to go through first, the very same noise that had been echoing throughout the halls that morning was heard again, only now that it was closer, Magus could recognize it as vomiting. This, of course, did not help with Frog's suspicions.

"What wast that?" Turning around and looking directly at the room in which Lucca was in, Frog seemed about to head back that way until a leather clad hand made sure that he went through the warp hard enough to send him sprawling to the ground on the other side. The owner of that hand was soon to follow, that same hand making odd, twitchy movements.

Frog, once again dusting himself off, was becoming a bit flustered, and so when Magus had moved out of the way, he immediately tried to go back through the warp, thinking it best not to give the testy man in front of him any warning and thus a chance to knock him back onto the floor. However, the portal was no longer there. Now absolutely sure that Magus was keeping something from him, Frog turned to him, meeting his glare with one of his own.

"I will ask again, Magus. What art thou attempting to hide!?"

Magus, who had had a bad morning to begin with, was reaching the end of his oh-so-short patience.

"What I do, _Frog_," he began, spitting out the swordsman's name as though it were the vilest thing to have ever been spoken, "is none of your concern. What goes on in this _castle_ is none of your concern. You have no right to simply barge in here, expecting me to tell you what may very well be for only me to know. I'm getting rather tired of it, and the next time you come here in such a manner, I swear I won't think twice about removing your pathetic existence from my sight permanently, past alliances or not."

A momentary look of hurt flitted across Frog's face. He knew that he and Magus were not close enough to actually be called friends, probably never would be, but he still never thought that the wizard would actually throw whatever bond they _did_ have to the side. The look of hurt was soon replaced by one of hardened anger.

"Do not think that thee can continue to hide whatever thee art hiding," he hissed, looking Magus straight in the eye, "for I hath been in this castle many a time without thee knowing, and hath therefore come to know it as well as thyself. I will discover what it is that thee art hoping to keep from me, and whatever heinous deed it may be, I shalt deliver unto thee a proper punishment." Then, voicing some of the betrayal he felt, added, "I thought that mayhap thou had changed, had actually begun to redeem thyself and cast aside thy old ways. I see now that I wast a fool to believe so."

With that, he spun on his heel and stormed out of the castle.

------------------------------------------

When Magus returned to the room in which he had left Lucca, and after more or less melting the doorknob off upon discovering it locked, he found her laying down on the bed, seemingly asleep.

Not wanting to leave her alone and have her wake up thinking she was still lost, he quietly walked over to the chair that sat facing the bed, sitting down softly so as not to wake her. He stared at her for a while, secretly admiring the way the small amount of sunshine creeping in through the blinds to rest on her sleeping form made it appear as though she were glowing with a heavenly light.

He would often times watch her like this in the mornings after one of their trysts, sometimes even giving her a gentle kiss as she slept, not wanting to wake her but still wanting to touch her once more. Almost as if assuring himself that she were truly there. Even now, he couldn't help but feel an urge to do so.

"What are you staring at?"

Now no longer lost in thought, Magus realized that Lucca was looking back at him, obviously a bit disturbed over the fact that he had been watching her so closely.

"…Nothing," he replied gruffly, looking away.

"Sure didn't look like nothing," she sighed, rolling onto her back to face the ceiling. Then, scrunching up her nose in disgust, "It stinks in here."

"After what you left behind the door I would expect it to."

"I wasn't going anywhere near that window again. Once was enough for one day, thank you very much. I feel better now, though, so I would like to go somewhere a little closer to the ground, if you don't mind."

Getting up, she walked over to the door, ready to do just that. However, seeing that Magus was still sitting in his chair, she stopped, crossed her arms over her chest, wincing a little as she pushed down a bit too hard, and sighed.

"You know, the fact that I'm lost in this stupid castle of yours hasn't changed."

"You're not going anywhere until that mess is cleaned up," he replied, still not looking at her.

Sighing again, she wasn't in the mood to lose her temper, she said, "I can't clean it up unless I know where I'm going, or where everything is, for that matter. In order to do that, I would need a little help from a certain grouchy wizard."

Deciding that no response would be the best response, the aforementioned "grouchy wizard" got up out of his chair, brushing past her and out into the hall.

After giving the melted doorknob a curious look, she hurried to catch up to him. Before walking through the warp, which Magus had replaced earlier, Lucca stopped, gently grasping Magus' arm to make him do the same.

When she spoke, it was with a kind of uncertainty, almost shy.

"Listen…about earlier…you know…when Frog was here?" Slowly, Magus nodded his head, clearly becoming impatient. "Well…I…just wanted to say…thank you. That really meant a lot to me."

Giving him a small smile, Lucca slipped through the portal, leaving Magus to grunt to himself before following her.

A/N: Yeah, I know…short chapter…But, hey!! I've got the beginning of the next one planned out, so I may just update sooner than usual…probably not, but I can dream. And I actually don't think I did too terribly bad with Frog's accent. Oh, and you can blame many things for me missing my goal of having this done over a week ago. Blackouts are one of them…one lasted for four days, more or less. Another is Stephen King. His books just kept calling to me!! I couldn't help it!! And last, but _definitely_ not least, is something I'm doing as I write this…TRAFFIC SCHOOL!! I got a ticket for going over a double yellow line, so I'm stuck doing that. I swear that cop had a stick up his a-uh…let's just say a very unpleasant place. Even the judge laughed at the stupidity of the ticket!! Anyway, I'd better get back to that. The sooner I do the sooner it's done. So…enjoy!! And don't forget to review. You know ya want to!!


	6. Chapter 6

Lucca and Magus were sitting in the den, or rather, _one _of them, and had been doing so for hours. Magus seemed content enough with this, as he had a rather large book to occupy his time with, but Lucca did not have such a luxury, and was currently sitting upside-down in a chair in hopes that it would either alleviate her boredom, or that the blood rush would render her unconscious. She had already been staying with Magus for two weeks, and she couldn't believe how dull it was, and today it was somehow worse. The silence stretched on, and Lucca, having nothing better to do, stared with curiosity at the man before her. The minutes ticked by, and after what seemed like an eternity, Lucca made a rather studious observation.

"You know…from this angle, it actually looks like you're smiling. It also looks like you're hanging off the ceiling, but at least you're smiling."

Receiving no response except a slight twitch of the eyebrow, Lucca sighed. After a few more minutes of silence, she began to bob her head to some unheard song. Magus, still ignoring her, turned the page of his book, a noise so out of place amidst the silence that had gone unbroken for so long, with the exception of Lucca's random bit of conversation, that it seemed unnaturally loud. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Lucca, and, fearing that the silence would break what little was left of her sanity, she began to hum.

It started off quietly. So quiet, in fact, that Magus wasn't entirely sure he was hearing it. As the minutes ticked by, however, it steadily grew louder. Determined to keep reading and not let Lucca have the upper hand, Magus continued to ignore her. The humming went on, and was soon joined by the sound of her tapping her feet together to the beat of her song, causing him to dig his fingers into the aged binding of his book, leaving slight indentations in the leather. When that didn't seem to be quite enough to appease her, Lucca started to drum her hands against her stomach at alternate times of her feet tapping, all the while still humming her tune. A tune that Magus was starting to think he should know.

Finally, Lucca replaced her humming with actual words, and Magus realized with a sense of horror what it was.

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves. I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it g-"

A loud shattering sound echoed throughout the room and down the hallway as a vial of something- Lucca tried not to think of what it might be- that was standing on top of the table next to her exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere. Startled, Lucca fell out of her chair with a yelp, landing flat on her back and almost knocking the wind out of her. It was only after her initial shock had subsided that she thought to look at Magus, and noticed that a rather smug look had been pasted onto his face.

"Jeeze, you could have just asked me to stop you know," she said, rising up off the floor with a slight grimace as she rubbed her now sore back. "You didn't have to try to give me a heart attack."

Magus, still trying not to acknowledge her existence, turned another page, but it didn't get by Lucca that his smirk had grown even nastier. Dusting herself off, she was not on her feet for long before a dizzy spell overcame her. Coupled with the severe head-rush she was experiencing as a result of sitting upside-down in the chair for so long, it was enough to make her fall backward. Right onto Magus' lap.

At first she hadn't noticed where she was, due to the fact that she still had black dots dancing behind her closed eyelids. However, when they cleared and she opened her eyes fully, it was to the face of a _very_ annoyed Magus. Narrowing his eyes at her, he looked her straight in the eye, glaring for all he was worth.

"Um," she stated, trying desperately to find something to say. Her inability to do so was not only due to the fact that Magus being angry made it very hard to think of a way to defend oneself, but also his close proximity, and exactly _where _she was, made all thought leak out of her as she remembered the…_events_ that had brought her here in the first place. So, paralyzed as she was, she could only continue to stare at him.

Of course, Magus was never one to be unable to say what he needed to.

"If you're quite through staring, Lucca. Get. Off."

Breaking out of her stupor, Lucca hastily scrambled off of him, nearly falling again in the process. As she pointedly looked in any direction that wasn't his, she noticed that the substance inside the vial that Magus had broken had eaten away at part of the table.

"Well, gee. Nice way to way to ruin your furniture, genius," she spat, furiously trying to hide her blush as she walked over to get a closer look at the damage. As she did so, she noticed that there was a small, slightly furry, gray ball in the middle of the ruined wood. Though it was against her better judgment to do so, Lucca tried to pick it up, only to find that it was thoroughly stuck to the table.

Looking back over her shoulder to ask Magus what it was, she suddenly felt something wrap firmly around her finger. Letting out a small shriek, Lucca jumped backward, wrenching her finger out of the little thing's grasp.

"What _is_ that thing?" She asked, holding her hand protectively to her chest and staring at the seemingly harmless ball on the table. Magus, who had already risen from his seat to keep Lucca from falling again-though this act had gone unnoticed since her mind was occupied with other matters-strode calmly over to the table and the tiny ball on top of it.

"Ah," he said after a while. Lucca noticed that he kept his hand far away from it though. "It's a Rolly egg."

"_That's_ a Rolly egg?" she exclaimed, staring warily at what she considered her attacker.

"It would appear that the fluid in that vial was preserving it, and now that it's out, it embedded itself into whatever it could to keep itself from rolling away."

"But why did it _grab_ me?" she asked, still not trusting it.

At that, Magus sneered, and Lucca didn't like the looks of it.

"Well, it had to identify its new mother."

"Its new _what_?" she shouted, unable and unwilling to comprehend what he had just said. "Why would _I_ be its mother? I had nothing to do with it! I didn't even know what it _was_!"

"It's simple. Rollies identify their parents while they are eggs by touching them. It makes it so they'll know who their parents are when they hatch. Once the egg knows someone as their parent, it will follow them around until they die, a bit like birds do. That's why Imps always had them." Taking a quick glance at the Rolly egg sitting so innocently on his table, he sneered again before saying, "I pity it, actually, for choosing _you_."

"_Excuse_ me?" She exclaimed, temper flaring up immediately.

"Face it," Magus began, arms crossing over his chest while he looked down on her, "you're not exactly mother material."

"No. I'm not," she said, eye twitching slightly, "but I'm going to have to learn soon, now aren't I?" She yelled, pointing at her abdomen. That simple reminder was enough to wipe the smug look off of his face, and Lucca was glad to see it go. If it hadn't, she probably would have smacked it off. However, such a reminder was also enough to make the room lapse back into silence, and this time it was heavy with awkwardness.

"So," she said after a few minutes, clearing her throat, "how long until it hatches?"

"A few months," he began matter-of-factly, as if nothing had been said to make him uncomfortable. " It will depend on the weather, really, and how cold or warm it is. Since it's fall right now, I wouldn't expect it to until mid spring."

"Great," she sighed, wondering how long it had been since she had her hair cut last as she blew a stray strand out of her eyes. "Just what I need. A clingy pet." Quickly glancing at it, she noticed it quiver slightly, and she couldn't help but feel a little queasy at the sight. "Do I have to do anything to it, or does it grow on its own?"

"The egg will grow on its own, but the Rolly itself will need constant attention." He said, putting his book back on the shelf. Turning back to her, he smirked again before saying, "You see why you shouldn't touch things when you don't know what they are?"

"_I'm_ not the one who broke its container, now am I?" She said defiantly, hands placed firmly on her hips.

"And _I _ wasn't the one singing that obnoxious song." Leaving it at that, he strode out of the room, pausing only long enough to say, "Coming, Lucca? Or have you figured out the castle yet?"

Knowing there would be no further discussion on the matter, she gave the egg one last glance before following him out of the room. As she watched him walk down the corridor, back straight and head held up high in a way that was supposed to show his superiority, only one thought ran through her mind.

It was going to be a long seven months.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"C'mon, Crono! Hurry up"

A young woman, strawberry-blonde and positively bubbling with energy, bounded across the field and toward the bridge that connected the mainland to the small island that held Lucca's house. Stopping at the foot of the bridge, she turned around and yelled to the young man following her. "We haven't seen Lucca in _forever_. And I have to let her know how the wedding's coming along!"

The young man she was pestering was currently trying to balance several boxes, while simultaneously trying to keep up with his over-eager fiancé.

"It's only been two weeks, Marle," Crono replied, catching a box before it could fall to the ground and placing it at the top of his pile. With a frown, he added, "And did you have to bring so much material? Wouldn't a few scraps have been fine?"

Giggling as she watched him struggle with the boxes, Marle reached up and grabbed a few of the one's on top.

"Well if _someone_ hadn't insisted that it would be ungentlemanly to let the lady carry a few boxes, it wouldn't seem like so much." She said, giving him a coy smile. "Besides, this way she'll be able to see how the material looks when it's loose and flowing." Wrinkling her brow slightly and pouting, she continued. "And how can you say that it's _only_ been two weeks? We never keep out of touch for that long."

"She's probably caught up in some invention of hers and doesn't even know that it's _been_ two weeks. You know how she gets," he reasoned, though even he had to admit that two weeks _was_ kind of long.

"Well, I'll feel better when I see her. Maybe we can help!" Marle exclaimed. At the mention of the word "help", though, Crono grimaced. He loved Lucca dearly and was always willing to give her a hand when needed, but the only help he could ever give was to be her personal gerbil.

Finally reaching the door, Marle knocked briskly on the door and waited for an answer.

"Besides," she said, readjusting the boxes in her arms, "Lucca could probably use a break if she's been working for two weeks straight."

The door opened, and both youths were surprised to see a very haggard and weary looking Lara on the other side.

"Hi, Mrs. Ashtear!" Marle exclaimed, giving the older woman one of her most beaming smiles.

"Hi," Crono echoed, trying his best not to let on that he was a little unnerved by Lara's appearance, which deviated greatly from her normal pristine and alert self. "We're here to see Lucca. Is she home?"

"Marle, Crono," she said, inclining her head slightly in greeting. "It's good to see you both again, but I'm afraid she's not here."

Crono and Marle exchanged glances, both surprised that Lucca wasn't at home since she rarely ever left. They were more concerned, however, about Lara's curtness toward them.

"Oh," Marle began, trying her best to seem pleasant and not at all concerned. "Do you know when she'll be back? I want to talk to her about our wedding."

"Oh, yes. Your wedding," Lara said thoughtfully, and Crono and Marle thought she would warm up to them again at that point. She was always so glad to hear that Lucca's childhood friend was getting married. However, her almost dreamy demeanor was replaced almost immediately with a scowl as she said something that confused them both. "At least you have your heads on straight and are doing the right thing before jumping into bed together." At this, Marle blushed, and Crono shuffled uncomfortably.

With a sigh, Lara added, "Anyway, I'm not sure when she'll get back, but…" she paused, almost as if she wasn't sure whether she should continue or not, "I'll let her know you came by." She added this last in a hurry, almost as if it pained her to say it. "Thank you for stopping by, but I really must be going now. Taban's not feeling well, and I need to get back to him. Good bye."

With that, she closed the door, not even giving the two of them a chance to return her good bye.

Later, as they walked down the path that led into Guardia forest, Marle finally voiced what had been on both of their minds since they had talked with Lara.

"What was _that_ all about?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was past midnight, and Lucca, greatly desiring cantaloupe, had made her way to the kitchen. Without getting lost, she was proud to say, completely ignoring the fact that her room was only a little ways down the hall. She was having trouble finding what she wanted, though, and was getting a bit grouchy during her search.

_Even his stupid kitchen is huge, _she thought with a frown.

"I _know _it's here," she mumbled to herself, tossing an orange to the side as though it had offended her. "I saw it this morn-Aha!"

Holding the cantaloupe up as though it were a prize, she quickly found the knives and proceeded to cut it open, almost greedily beginning to devour it once it was cut. After a couple bites, Lucca looked at the slice of cantaloupe thoughtfully.

"It's missing something…" she murmured, looking around the kitchen in hopes of discovering what it was she needed. Finally, she spotted it; garlic. A strange combination, she'd admit, but darn it if it didn't sound good!

Snatching it up, she began to literally dump garlic onto the cantaloupe. By the time she was through, the once full container was more than half empty. Biting into her creation, her face showed absolute bliss as she chewed, a little bit of juice dribbling down her chin.

"Mow vat 'its tha svot!" she exclaimed with a mouth full of melon. Still munching on her food, she sat down at the table. She was almost finished when Magus, who had obviously not slept at all, if the fact he was still dressed was any indication, but looked no worse for wear, entered the kitchen. Stopping, he looked at Lucca, then at her plate. He didn't say anything for a moment, only staring at Lucca's food while she continued to eat it ravenously.

"Is that…_garlic?_" he finally asked, eyes still focused on what sat before her.

"Uh-huh," she said after swallowing, not waiting very long before shoving another piece in her mouth.

"On a cantaloupe?" Now he was looking a little disturbed.

"Yup," she confirmed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Wan' shum?" she offered, holding a piece of it out to him.

Looking at the offending fruit as if it had sprouted a few heads, he replied with obvious disgust.

"Why would I want a piece of…_that_?"

Shrugging, she said, "Your loss," before shoving the last piece into her mouth. Satisfied with her meal, she pushed her plate away and sat back comfortably.

"So!" she chirped, obviously in a good mood now, "Why are you still up? The crickets scaring you?" She asked jokingly.

"I'm _always_ up this late, Lucca. You're just too busy snoring to notice."

"Well, sor-_ry, _Mr. Grouch!" she snapped, picking her plate up and going over to the sink. "_Normal_ people tend to actually _sleep_. I would have thought you would, too. Or are you just that much better than us?" Lucca asked while washing her dish.

"No, but when you spend most of your life avoiding being killed by the only things you can consider family, you get used to not sleeping," he said bitterly.

"…Oh," was all she could think of to say to that as an emotion that could be considered a mixture of guilt and pity sunk into her. Quickly drying her plate and putting it away, she turned back to him, biting her lower lip slightly.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, not really knowing if she wanted him to hear or not. He did.

"Don't be," he ground out as a shadow passed over his features, making him look more like a demon than a man.

She hated to see him like that, angry and haunted by memories of his past. It did more than scare her when she saw just how inhuman he could be, it crushed her heart with pity. If he knew that, he would probably be angry, saying he didn't need her pity and he would shut himself away even more. She didn't want that, because as much as she hated what happened to him as he thought about his past, she loved that he would tell her about the things he tried to bury away, rare as such tellings might be. She didn't understand why she did, it just seemed important. His inner torment was enough to make _her_ want to cry at times, so she couldn't imagine what it was like for him.

"You're staring again, Lucca." His words cutting through her thoughts, she blushed slightly at being caught thinking about him.

"Oh, um…you, uh, have something on your face?" It was more of a question than a statement, and she turned around quickly so that he couldn't see the lonely tear that rolled down her face unbidden.

"Hmph. We both know that's not true," Magus said, getting up and crossing his arms over his chest. "You just like to stare," he added with a smirk.

"I do n -Ack!" While she was trying to whirl around to face him again, her feet got tangled up in each other, and she fell forward. To her great surprise, Magus caught her.

The way he caught and held her was almost like an embrace, and she couldn't help but get butterflies when she was in his arms. Looking up, their eyes locked, and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to wipe away the shadows that swirled in the crimson depths of his eyes. He must have seen something in her eyes, too, because his face softened just slightly and the shadows became less prominent.

He shifted her in his arms so she was more directly in front of him, and she was certain that he was going to kiss her. She wasn't sure what brought it on, but he had the same look on his face as he had many a time when they kissed that one last, almost desperate kiss before parting ways in the mornings. It was the look that made her believe she might just be able to help him. His head lowered slightly, and anticipation swirled in her stomach.

Or at least she thought it was anticipation. Jerking back just before their lips met, Lucca's hastily eaten meal came back up. And went onto Magus' boots.

Inwardly groaning, his thoughts were similar to what Lucca's were earlier that day.

It was going to be a _long_ seven months.

A/N.: And there you have it! Chapter six. And I was evil about it, too. No kissing yet, you two! Man, this took forever to get out, huh? Unfortunately, that might be how it is for awhile, because, as it says in my profile, I am currently getting ready for college. …Someone hold me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chappie, I sure had fun writing it. I'm not sure exactly _why_ I did, it just seemed like it was more fun. Please, please, _please_ don't be mad at me. I don't mean to take so long. But I love you all for being patient! Anyway, review, please! I'll love you always and forever if ya do. Well, more, anyway. :D


	7. Chapter 7

The night was dark, cool and crisp, filled with the slight bite of pre-winter. The rain that had been falling gratuitously for the last eight weeks had become a bitterly cold sleet, leaving a fine mist to creep in and out of the trees when it connected with the slightly warmer ground. With such limited visibility, few would dare to venture outside, especially around the hostile area of Magus' island. Despite the risks or the weather, there was one who stealthily made his way toward the stone structure, very much conscious of his surroundings and ever so careful not to make a sound. To do so would be to foil his mission, and that was just unacceptable. He knew Magus was hiding something, and was determined to find out what. If Magus didn't want it to be known, it could only be trouble.

Weighed down by his heavy wet cloak and his determination not to be caught, his progress was painfully slow, and so when he finally came to the edge of the gnarled forest that surrounded the castle, it was with a sense of relief. Now all he had to do was make it from the trees to the wall, and he would be in.

With a small smile and a rather pleased look upon his face, he was just about to dash forward when he felt the grace of cold steel wrap around his neck.

"Out for a little stroll, Frog?" a cool voice asked from behind him. Realizing just who it was that had found him, the knight's surprise at being caught turned into a silent rage.

"Magus…how didst thou know I wast here?"

"I have my ways," he answered coolly, and Frog could hear the smirk in his voice. "After all, you've been barging into my castle unbidden for quite some time now. Only an idiot would believe that I wouldn't have _some_ way of knowing when there is an intruder."

Dawning a smirk of his own, Frog didn't hesitate in retorting. "And only a fool wouldst fail to do so until suspicion is aroused." Magus, having not found his comment amusing, brought his scythe closer to Frog's neck, allowing it to bite into his flesh. "I told you I wouldst be back to discover whatever it is that thou art hiding, Magus," he continued, all humor gone from his voice now.

"And I told _you _it was none of your concern," Magus replied, his voice low and dangerous, not at all concealing his underlying anger. "I warned you not to come here again, and I meant it. If you were so eager to die, I would have gladly done you the favor the last time we met. Well, there's always this time, I suppose."

Though a bit shocked that Magus was serious about hurting him, Frog was quickly able to summon a water spell and throw it into Magus' face. Surprised, Magus loosened his hold on Frog, allowing for him to escape with only a nick. Taking advantage of the wizard's current sputtering position, Frog leapt deftly into the air, fully intending to cut his opponent down. Of course, having only had water thrown in his face, Magus was therefore was not distracted enough to be defeated, and steel met steel when Frog landed.

"Still as annoying as ever, you worthless amphibian," Magus ground out, slowly sliding the blade of his Doomsickle up that of the Masamune.

"And I see that thou art just as cowardly as before, attacking thine enemies whilst their backs art turned," Frog spat, struggling to get the upper hand before Magus could.

"Hmph. If it works…" he began, baring his teeth in a wicked smile, eyes glowing with assured victory, "do it." With that, Magus quickly swung around and hit the back of Frog's knees with the staff of his scythe, knocking the knight flat on his back. Before he could recover, Frog found himself at the sharpened end of Magus' weapon, which was just as deadly as the blade itself. Defeated, Frog looked up into the gloating face of the victor.

"I'm a bit disappointed in you, Frog. I would have thought you'd put up more of a fight," Magus sneered, pouring malice into every word. "I must have given you too much credit." At that, he placed his foot firmly on Frog's chest, ready to give the final blow. However, just as he raised his scythe, a loud crash was heard from within the castle. Jerking his head back to see what had caused the commotion, Magus forgot to keep an eye on his captive, who used the opportunity to knock the scythe away from him and scramble to his feet.

"What seems to be matter, Magus?" Frog asked, picking up the now muddy Masamune. "Thee seem distracted."

Magus, having realized his mistake, let out a low sound that could only be described as a growl, and Frog could see a Dark Bomb had been formed in his opponent's hand. Jumping out of the way just as Magus threw it, Frog was able to avoid the explosion of dark energy, though the ends of his cloak were singed.

"Thee will have to do better than _that_," Frog quipped, goading the irate man in front of him on. Just as he finished his sentence, Magus threw another, and the knight barely managed to get away, his cloak ripping to tatters this time. However, he continued to provoke his rival. "Thine aim is off tonight," he said mockingly. "Mayhap thee aren't as powerful as thou thinks, if you can't dispose of one 'worthless amphibian.'"

To put it lightly, Magus was not pleased, and his eyes practically glowed with anger, the beginnings of Dark Matter crackling at his fingertips. Frog feared that he may have gone too far, for if Magus used that attack against him, he would likely not be able to dodge it.

Magus seemed about to say something when yet another crashing sound came from inside the castle, this time accompanied by a small explosion. In a rare display of indecisiveness, Magus seemed unable to move as he looked back and forth between the building and his opponent, and Frog noticed with a bit of relief that the spell his foe had started summoning had dissipated.

"…Dammit," was all he said before finally turning and heading back toward the castle. Frog began to follow, raising the Masamune again, amazed that Magus would dare turn his back on an enemy. "Consider this your last warning," the mage threw over his shoulder as he walked away, giving Frog a piercing look from the corner of his eye that made him stop dead in his tracks. He hadn't seen Magus look at him that way since they had defeated him in his castle. "If I see you here again," he continued coldly, "I _will_ kill you." With that, he levitated off the ground and sped away.

Knowing his chance was ruined for the night, Frog sheathed his blade, and left.

----------------------------------------

Thoroughly furious at having lost his chance to rid himself of his nemesis, Magus stormed his way back into the castle. On his way, he heard more crashing sounds, many of which were accompanied by curses not fit for a lady's mouth. Of course, Lucca Ashtear wasn't exactly what one would consider a lady. Angrier by the minute, Magus picked up the pace and nearly kicked the door in when he finally got to the room where all the noise was coming from.

"Lucca! What in the _hell_ are you doing in-" stopping short, Magus took a moment to take in what he saw before him. Put simply, Lucca had been busy.

The once neat and orderly room was now the equivalent of a small junk yard. Scraps of twisted metal lay everywhere, some of it half formed and molded into an unidentifiable new shape. Two of the walls were badly charred, one even had half a stone missing from it, and the acrid stench of sulfur hung thickly in the air. And there, sitting in the middle of it all, was Lucca- face black with soot, hair disheveled, and screwdriver thoroughly wedged between her teeth- crouched over a smoking hunk of welded iron that looked ready to explode again at any moment. Knowing what she was up to, Magus was very curt in his next statement.

"No."

Looking up innocently, Lucca could only blink in confusion before asking, in a rather muffled voice due to the screwdriver, "What?"

"This," he replied with a sweep of his arm to indicate the current state of the room. Then, pointing at the partially finished object in Lucca's hands, he added, "And _that_."

"What about it?"

"You will not be doing that here," he answered in a firm tone, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a stern look. "I won't have you blowing up this castle."

"I won't blow it up!" she retorted, screwdriver falling from her mouth and clattering to a rest amidst the piles of junk. Glaring, Magus shifted his eyes to the wall behind her, indicating the charred and broken wall. After turning to see what he was looking at, Lucca grimaced when she saw the damage she had caused.

"…I'll fix it."

"No. You won't. There will be no more of you doing anything of this sort."

"But-"

"No, Lucca. Now, what you _are_ going to do is clean this scrap heap up and abandon whatever it is that's in your hand."

Returning his glare, Lucca retrieved her screwdriver from the floor and proceeded to fiddle with her project before saying matter-of-factly, "You can't tell me what to do, Magus."

"Clean. It. Up," he replied, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists in a rather valiant effort not to lose his temper. Lucca paid no heed to his demands, choosing instead to ignore him and continue working. At this point, Magus had had enough, and was about to go into a spitting rage when Lucca cut in.

"I need to go into town soon. …_Very_ soon," she said, reaching behind her to pull out a small wrench. "So, I'll be needing a weapon. I forgot mine at home, and using magic might attract too much attention to myself." With a few quick jerks of her wrist, a loud popping noise was heard just as something shot out from inside the mangled metal in her hand, landing somewhere amidst the piles of junk. "…I don't think I needed that piece, anyway," she stated with a frown, putting the wrench away.

Narrowing his eyes and deepening his scowl, Magus asked, "And why would you need to go into town? "

"Well," Lucca began, her face showing the utmost concentration as she carefully soldered two slabs of metal together with her magic. "As I'm sure you haven't noticed, being _you_ and all, I'm starting to get…bigger, in certain areas. As such, I'm not fitting so well into my clothes. So, I figured I'd go to town and buy some that actually allow me to breathe when I put them on in the morning, before I'm stuck running around naked."

At that, Magus became strangely silent, and though she didn't know _why_, she knew he was glowering at her.

"…you're not to leave this castle," he said finally, voice flat and serious.

Lucca, not liking such a decree, stopped her work, returning her screwdriver to its place in her belt and setting her project down. After quickly adjusting her glasses, she fixed Magus with a cutting glare.

"And why, O Great King of Nothing, is that?"

"Because someone may follow you back to this castle, and one of the last things I want to deal with is an angry mob of townspeople attempting to do what that frog couldn't and kill me."

"You expect me to stay in this castle _forever_?" she exclaimed, standing up in order to better see him. "That's not fair! You can't-"

"Then go home," he cut in, turning his back to her and heading toward the door.

"You know I can't do that, Magus! I have no where else to go!"

"Then you've made your choice, haven't you?" And with that, he walked out, leaving Lucca to stare in anger and disbelief after him.

--------------------------------------------------

"ARG! That stupid, egotistical, _jerk_!" Lucca cried as she stumbled over a rock. "I wouldn't have to go this way if it weren't for him being so- AH!" she shouted, slipping a ways down the grimy rocks.

A week had passed since Magus had forbidden her from leaving the castle, and during that week, Lucca had spent most of her time avoiding him, choosing to instead- as far as Magus knew, anyway- sulk in her room. What he _didn't_ know, however- or perhaps choose not to acknowledge the possibility- was that Lucca had continued work on her new gun, finishing it the night before and fully intending to sneak out the next morning. Unfortunately, that meant no Epoch, since the noise it would make would undoubtedly alert him as to her absence, or worse, make him think he had finally gotten rid of her. Without it, she only had one option: the bat infested, rarely used Magic Cave. It also meant navigating around the places where Magus had set warp points after Frog's last visit, which would send trespassers straight to his dungeon. Much to her chagrin, avoiding the warps meant a great deal of climbing to places certain amphibians couldn't get to.

"I can't _believe_ he actually expected me to stay in that castle! Who does he think he is? My _father_? The _nerve_ of that inconsiderate bas- ACK!" Attempting to jump to the next rock, Lucca slipped and fell in a pile of bat droppings. This, of course, did not bode well, and the string of curses that followed were enough to put sailors to shame.

Finally, after another hour or so of trudging, tantrums, and shooting bats, she reached the mouth of the cave. Brushing what she could of the dirt and grime off of her clothes, she continued on to Porre, hoping that the rest of the day would be smooth sailing. At least until she had to go back through the cave.

The town was alive with people, with dust thick in the air from recently passed carts, and shopkeepers peddling their goods to whoever passed by. Children scampered about, sometimes cutting other people off, pretending to be members of the Knights of the Square table valiantly defeating the evil wizard, a fact Lucca noticed with a bit of satisfaction. Smiling, she took a few moments to relish the hustle and bustle of civilization before heading to the clothing shop.

Inside it was dark and musty, and Lucca had to stifle the urge to cover her nose at the pungent scent of sweat that hung in the air. A scent that no doubt came from the fat, balding man at the counter, who seemed to be dozing off.

"Hi!" she exclaimed, approaching him with a smile. "I'd like to be fitted for new clothes, please."

The man lazily opened one eye, gazing at Lucca for a second before proceeding to staring at her belly. Then, with a quick glance at her hand, he closed his eye again. Not wanting to make a commotion, but certainly not willing to be ignored, Lucca tried again.

"Umm…I'm sorry, sir, if this is a bad time, but I _really_ need some new clothes. I can pay you well for the trouble." Not receiving any response other than a slight twitch of his lip, she continued. "Look…I don't have very much time; I have to be somewhere. So, if you could just- "

"We don't serve your type here," he interrupted with a gruff voice, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"My…type…?" she stammered, confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know exactly what I mean," he answered. "An unmarried woman with child. It's bad for business."

"What do you mean, 'bad for business'?" she shouted, a little red in the face. "I _am_ business!"

"Sorry, but it's policy," he stated, rising from his seat and heading toward the back room. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some _respectable_ customers waiting."

Not being one to take such treatment, Lucca blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"You idiot! I _am_ married!"

Stopping just short of the door, the shopkeeper turned to look at her. "Oh?" he asked, eyeing her doubtfully. "Then where's your ring?"

Realizing her mistake a bit too late, she came up with a quick lie. "I…I was robbed. Just outside of town. By…by mystics."

"What were you doing outside of town all by yourself, _miss_?" he asked, giving her a scrutinizing look.

"Well…I was with my…husband, but he left for a moment to get his bearings. While he was gone, they attacked me and took my ring: the only thing I had on me that was of any value. When my husband returned and found out what happened, he went after them and told me to head the rest of the way into town and wait for him," she explained, inwardly groaning at how absurd she must have sounded.

Mulling her story over, the man waited a few moments before saying, "Well. I'll tell you what, miss. You bring this husband of yours in when he comes back, and I'll have my sister make you some clothes. I'll even give them to you at no charge for the inconvenience. But, if he doesn't come back, well, you'll be needing a new husband anyway, now won't you?" At this, he started laughing, and Lucca was just about to hit him when a voice called from the backroom.

"Derek! That's a horrible thing to say!" The shopkeeper- Derek, apparently- quickly stopped laughing, instead adopting a rather sheepish look as a slightly older woman stepped into view. "How can you go around joking to people like that? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"But, Senda. She might not be married at all," he mumbled.

"Well, I believe her," the woman, Senda, said, giving Lucca a quick look over. "Just look at the state she's in! Why, I've seen work boots cleaner than her." Embarrassed, Lucca couldn't help but blush. "Come on, dear," Senda continued, turning and giving her a warm smile. "Just ignore my brother and I'll get you fitted in some new clothes right away." Before Lucca had a chance to say anything, Senda grabbed her hand and dragged her into the backroom, leaving a thoroughly scolded Derek in her wake.

The next hour was spent idly chitchatting while Senda measured, cut and sewed, while Lucca stood straight up without moving in case any more measurements had to be taken. Of course, it was only so long before their talk would turn to what had started the trouble to begin with.

"So, how far along are you, dear?"

"What?" Lucca asked, caught off guard.

Smiling, Senda gave her a flat look. "Your _baby_, dear. How far along is it?"

"Oh…umm…about three months," she said, with a slightly saddened look. Senda, having seen this, gave another warm smile.

"Now don't worry about your husband, dear. I'm sure he's fine. Those mystics haven't been nearly so strong since that Magus character disappeared. Hmph. You have to wonder what kind of a leader runs out on his troops, don't you, dear?" This time, Lucca smiled.

"He was probably just a coward who ran away when he heard Sir Glenn was coming," she quipped, wishing she could see Magus' face if he had heard what she'd said. This caused the older woman to laugh.

"Careful, dear, or you'll make me miss a stitch," she chuckled. With a sigh, she continued, "Three months, though. You're already a third of the way there. You're going to enjoy motherhood, dear; it's such a wonderful experience." Lucca frowned at this, seriously doubting the statement's validity. "All my children have grown and moved on, but at least I have the memories," she sighed, losing herself in thought. Seeing the woman's blissful expression, Lucca tried to imagine the kind of days with her baby that would produce such a countenance. But, try as she might, she just couldn't get past the thought of kicking, screaming, and diaper changing. "…- wife yet?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, she could only reply with a dull, "Huh?"

"Not quite all there today, dear?" Senda asked with a playful tone. "It's alright. I was the same way when I was having my first. I was just asking if you and your husband had chosen a midwife yet."

"A…midwife?" Lucca asked, wrinkling her brow. "Why would I need one of those?"

"Well, you can't be expected to do all the work, now can you, dear?" she said, fixing her with a look. "Once you get a midwife, she can help you with the housework when you get too big to do it yourself. She can make sure you and your baby stay healthy, and once the little one is born, she can help you take care of it." At this, Lucca perked up. "Alright, dear. I've finished," she announced, rising from her seat. "Try it on and see if it fits."

"Alright," Lucca agreed, grabbing the dress and looking around. "Err…is there somewhere I can change?"

"So shy, dear?" she said with a light laugh. "I'll leave the room for you, then. You just call me when you're ready."

Lucca waited for the door to close before quickly getting changed. After pulling the cotton over her head, she couldn't help but marvel over how much more comfortable it was than her shorts had been recently. Ignoring the muffled voices of Senda and her brother arguing with a customer outside the door, Lucca took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. The dress wasn't much as far as looks went, mainly a light green with only a few light blue flowers printed across it, and being of a simple cut, but after being confined to such tight clothes as she had been, looks mattered even less than they usually did to her. She could even ignore the fact that it was a dress as long as she kept its comfort in mind. Smiling, Lucca called for Senda, who smiled upon entering.

"Ah, you look _much_ better, dear. Not quite so uncomfortable as you were, are you?"

Giving the front of the store a curious look as she heard the door slam, Lucca asked, "What was all that commotion about? I heard you and your brother arguing with someone."

Senda's smile vanished. "A young man came in looking for his cousin, and wouldn't leave even when we told him there was only one young lady here who was with her husband. He wanted to see for himself, but, since you were changing, we couldn't let him. Then he just got upset and started yelling. There was something strange about him, though. I couldn't put my finger on it, but…" Shaking her head, Senda continued. "Well, no use trying to figure it out now, is there? You look marvelous, dear. Now why don't you go down to the inn and rest until your husband returns? I'm sure it won't be long now."

"Thank you, Senda," Lucca said with a smile. "How much do I owe you?"

"After the way my brute of a brother treated you? Why, nothing at all, dear. You just use that money to get yourself some lunch. You have to get used to eating for more than yourself now, dear."

Pleased, Lucca left the store with another word of thanks- though not before discreetly placing a handful of gold pieces in the potted plant on the counter. Walking down the street, she kept thinking about the midwife Senda was talking about, and in turn thinking about how much easier things would be for her if she hired one. With a bitter smile, she shook her head.

"Magus would never go for it," she mumbled. "I'd better get back, though. I'm sure he's already realized I'm not there and will be throwing a fit."

However, just as she was about to start walking back toward the Magic Cave, someone leapt out from between two of the buildings, grabbing her and covering her mouth before she could even think of screaming.

A/N: And there it is! My Easter present to you, the _real_ chapter seven, not the imposter. On that note, I'd like to assure you all thatFan-Fic-Robin-Hood did not have my permission or my blessing in any way to do what he did, and I take this as not only theft, but a personal insult, all the more degrading since he made the characters rampantly OOC in only one chapter...quite an accomplishment.

To those of you who are patient and trustworthy, I'd like to thank you so much for your concern (I got over 100 e-mails from you guys. I didn't even know that I had that many _readers_), and for sticking with me. I assure you this story is far too important to me to ever abandon...or to just turn over to someone who has no idea what he's doing. If you've stuck with me this far, I can only hope you're willing to continue, and to wait to see how this story is _truly _meant to turn out.

I'd also like to give a BIG thanks to my beta, Sketch. Thanks, hon! (smooch)

Well! Happy Easter, everyone! Or, if you don't celebrate it, Happy Sunday, then!


End file.
